Bank-note cutting and signing machine.



N. w. TRUXAL. BANK NOTE CUTTING AND SIGNING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1911.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1911.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

I X I ML m Uh H3 A Ag A-R R 95 R531 1 PR. H 1% Q 5 5 \W N \E \U B N 9 O Q 3 an 5 Q N 5 Wfl U. r U \s h u w N x 5 R Q 1 E a 5 h Rik i k m d mhm B k k JF X R I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

NO'RVAL W. TRUXAL, F ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, I

TO WARREN P. LUCAS, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BANK-NOTE CUTTING AND SIGNING MACHINE.

Serial No. 628,535.

To all whom, it may concern Be it knownthat I, NoRvAL' W. TRUXAL, a citizen of sthe United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented ,certain new I and useful Improvements in Bank-Note Cuttrimming and-signing bank-notes which at one operation will trim and split a sheet of paper into several pieces and print on each piece the designated signatures.

Bank-notes are engraved on sheets of paper, four notes on a sheet each note being provided with blank spaces for the signatures of the designated oflicers, and the object of my invention is to construct a machine to trim and split the several notes on a sheet apart, and print the signatures on the blank spaces left for that purpose, and

to provide mechanism in said machine and portions of thelend frames. r a view of the cutter and impression roller,

partially in elevation and partially in sec- Whereby the paper is prevented from shifting or slipping during the operation.

The features of my invention are hereinafter set forth and described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an end view in elevation of my bank-note trimming and signing machine, Fig. 2 is a rear V1eW1 in elevation of the same, looking] in the direct'ion of the arrow in Fig. 1, with a portion of the shelf broken away. Fig. 3 is a transverse sect1on of the same on the line w-:p in Fig. 2, with the base thereof broken away. Fig. 4 1s a ver tical longitudinal section of the cylinder, Fig. 5 1s tion. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the operating shelf with portions thereof brokenaway, showing a gage "for placing bank-notesin position thereon, witha portion'of a sheet of'bank-notes thereon. in broken lines.

' In these drawings, A, indicates the ba e, and A A, the end frames of my mnchlne. In the end frames, A A, there is journaled a shaft, B, which is provided with an ope!" ating crank, B, secured on one end thereof, and a collar, B secured on the other end. Upon the shaft, B, between the end frames, A, I secure a cylinder, C, and adjacent to one end of said cylinder, (1, between the end thereof and one of the frames, A, I also secure a spur-gear, C, so that said cylinder.

C, and spur-gear, C, will rotate in unison with the shaft, B. The spur-gear may be made integral with the cylinder, C, if desired. The cylinder, C, is provided with p'eripheral depressions, c, 0, 0, c, and with annular shouldered cutting-grooves, c c c 0 0, one of the annular shoulders of each of said cutting-grooves being adapted to co-act with the cutter disks hereinafter described. I also provide radial slots, 0 0 in the end frames or spokes, C of the cylinder, C, and a slot, 0 in the web of the spur-gear, C, and'longitudinally through the cylinder, C, I place, a rod, D, the ends thereof extending outward through the slots, 0 0 and 0 Secured on the rod, D, within the cylinder, C, are paper grippers, D D D D, which extend out-ward through openings in the shell of the cylinder, C, and are provided on their outer ends with paper clamping lips, (I, adapted to contact with the periphery of the cylinder. Upon the grippers, D, within. the cylinder, C, and between the inner wall thcreof'and the rod, D, I place spr1ngs,-cl, adapted to normally force the rod, D, and

Patented Mar. 25, 1913. i

grippers'D, toward the shaft, B. To cause the grippers, D, to move outward so that the lips, d, thereon will be raised out of contact'with the periphery of thecylinder,

(LII-provide cam-shoulders, a and a, on the inner faces of theend frames, A, with which the projecting ends of the rod, D,

will contact when the cylinder, C, is rotated, the cam-shoulders being so formed as to raise up the rod, D, when the: same'contacts therewith; the cam-shoulders, a, being to open the grippers towreeeive the edge of a s eet which it is desired to operate upon,

and the cam-shoulders, at, being to raise the On the ends of the rod, D, I preferably place antirfriction rollers, (Z to facilitate the easy operation of the machine. The, cylin- (191', C, is also provided with a cam-notch,

c and in one of the end frames, A, Iplace a spring bolt or latch, A which is adapted to engage said cam-notch, for the purpose of stopping the rotation of the cylinder when the grippers, D, are in the position shown in the-drawings.

Upon the cylinder, C, and preferably within the peripheral depressions, a, thereon, I secure signature printing plates. E, (see Figs. 2 and 3) bearing facsimiles of the signatures to be impressed upon the banknotes,.so that the characters or devices thereon will be impressed in the proper locationson the bank-notes.

The printing surfaces on these plates, E, are slightly'raised above the surface of the cylinder, C, so that the same may have ink applied thereto without applying it to the cylinder, C.

Back of the cylinder, C, in suitable bearings, (1 I mount the core-shaft, F, of suitable ink-rolls, F F F F, which are adapted to apply ink to the signature plates, E, as the cylinder. C, is rotated. The core-shaft, F, is provided with collars, f, f, which bear against the inner faces of the end frames, A, to prevent longitudinal movement of the core-shaft, F, and I preferably square one-end of said shaft, F, as at f, for the purpose of removably placing thereon a crank by which the ink-rolls may be rotated when it is necessary to renew the ink thereon. The bearings, a are preferably open at their upper sides so that the coreshaft, F, with the ink-rolls thereon may be lifted out of the machine when desired.

Upon the upper and forward portions of the end frames, A A, I provide-projections, A A which projections are provided .with slots, A (see Fig. 1),, and in recesses in the lower ends of. the slots. A, I place springs, a, and within said slots. A, resting upon sald springs, a, I place slidable supports, G, G, the ends of which overlap the sides of the slots, A, sothat said supports 45 in said slots. In'the will not move laterally upper ends of the projections, A I mountpressure screws. H, H, the lower ends of which bear against the upper sides of the supports, G, G. Transversely through the supports, G, G, I place roll supporting journal screws J J .7 which engage screw threaded holes in said support, G, G, and are provided with lock-nuts, J, J, by means of which said journal-screws, J, J, may be locked-against rotation. The inner ends of these journal-screws, J, J, are conical in form, and are adapted to engage coneshaped openings, J (see Fig. 5) in each end of the cutter roll core-shaft, K. Between the conical ends of the journal-screw J, J, I mounta cutter-roll core-shaft, K, and upon the core-shaft, K (see Fig. 5) I place cutter disksfK, one for each annular shouldered cutting-groove, c, on the cylinder, C, and 65 between the disks, K, I place separating sleeves, 1' adapted to properly space the cutter disks apart, and upon the separating sleeves, K and at each side of the cutterdisks, K, I place pressure sleeves, K which are somewhat shorter than the separating sleeves, K and leave spaces, is, between the ends thereof, co-incident, longitudinally, with the plane of revolution of the grippers, D, so that when the cylinder, C. is rotated, the grippers, D, will pass through the spaces, l, between the ends of the pressure sleeves, K and not contact with the cutter-roll. Some of these pressure sleeves, K overlap the peripheral depressions c, on the cylinder, C, and form pressure surfaces which operate to press paper being passed through the machine against the signature plates, on the cylinder. These pressure sleeves, K, are preferably made of hard rubber, but, if desirable, may be made of any other material which may be found suitable for that purpose. On one end of the core-shaft, K, I place a gear pinion, L. adapted, when the shaft K, is secured in place between the ends of the journal-screws, J J, to intermesh with the spurgear, C, so that the peripheral surfaces of the cylinder, (Land of the pressure sleeves, K will move in unison with each other irrespective of the frictional contact between their respective surfaces. The separating sleeves, K are made to fit tightly upon the shaft, K, and the pressure sleeves, K, also fit closely upon the sleeves, K so that when they and the cutter disks, K, are placed ;upon theshaft, K, in their proper order, and pressed closely together, longitudinally. thecutter disks will rotate with the shaft K.

Back of the cylinder, C, I mount a supporting shaft, M, in the end frames, A, of jthemachine, and upon this shaft, M, I place iscrapers, m, m, m, m, of thin metal or other suitable material, each scraper being profvided with a weight, m, or other suitable means to maintain the lower end of the scraper in contact with the surface of the cylinder, C. The lower ends of these scrapers, m, are provided with notches in", (see Fig. 2) adapted to allow the grippers, D, pass therethrough. The object of the scrapers, m. is to insurethe droppingof the bank-notes from the cylinder, C, when released by the opening of the grippers, D".

Upon the top of the machine over the ink roll, F, I hinge a shelf, N, by means of hinges, n, n, so that the front edge thereof may be raised upward to give access to the ink roll, F. Upon the shelf N, near the front corners thereof I hinge a U-shaped gage support, N, by means of hinges, n n (see Figs. 1, 3 and 6) and upon the intermediate portion of this ga e support, N, I place gages, N N", prefera 1y small rollers, which are so located as to perfectly gage the position of the rear ends of the separating marginsbetween individual notes on a sheet of bank-notes, as shown by broken lines in F ig. 5, prior to the front'edge of such sheet being gripped by the grippers, D. k

In operation, the grippers, D, are turned to the position thereof shown in the drawings, the front edge of a sheet of bank-notes is inserted, face down, under the lips, d, of the grippers, D so that the front ends of the margins between the notes are in coincidence with'the cutter disks, K, and the rear ends of some of said margins are under the gages, N The crank, B, is then moved slowly forward,'care being taken to keep the edge of the paper under the lips, d, until the same have closed down upon the paper. Ink having been applied to the inkrolls, F, the signature plates, E, become inked therefrom as the cylinder, C, rotates, and the grippers, D, carry the front edge of the paper under the pressure surfaces, K on the cutter roll, While the cutter disks, K, thereonshearing against the square annular cutting-shoulders in the cylinder, C, cut the several bank notes apart, and some of the pressure surfaces, K press the paper against-the inked signature plates, E, thereby causing an impression thereof to be printed in the proper places on the faces of the bank notes. When the rear ends of the notes have passed from under the pressure surfaces, K on the cutter roll, the grippers, D, are opened by reason of the rod, D, engaging the cam-shoulders, a, the further rotatlon of the cylinder causes the forward ends of the bank-notes to engage the lower ends of the scrapers, m, and drop from the cylinders, and the grippers, D, are rotated forward to the open position thereof shown In Figs. 1 and 2, when the spring bolt, A

again enters the cam-notch, c, in the cylinder, C.

Having thus described the construction and operation of mechanism embodying my invention so as to enable others to construct and utilize the same, I do not desire to be limited to the exact design, construction and arrangement of mechanism hereinbefore shown and described, as many modifications thereof can be 'made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Therefore what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described,

a cylinder, annular cutter shoulders and printing devices mounted thereon, mechanism for stopping the rotation of the cylinder at a predetermined. point in its rotation, inking mechanism co-acting with the printing devices on said cylinder, grippers tially as set forth.

2. In adevice of the character described, a cylinder, annular cutter shoulders, print mg devices, and sheet-gripping mechanism mounted thereon, stop mechanism for interrupting the rotation of said cylinder at the end of each revolution thereof, mechanism for closing said grippers upon a sheet as said cylinder starts to rotate and opening the same before one revolution of said cylinder is completed, an impression roll contacting with said cylinder and having annular grooves therein for the passage of the grippers on the cylinder, cutter disks on said impression roll co-acting with the annular cutter shoulders on the cylinder, gears be-' tween the cylinder and the impression roll so that their peripherieswill travel in unison, inking mechanism co-acting with the printing devices on the cylinder, scrapers operating against the cylinder to remove a sheet therefrom when released by the grippers, and means for operating the cylinder, substantially as set forth.

3. In a device of the character described, end frames, a cylinder journaled in said end frames, printing devices on said cylinder,

means to apply ink to said printing devices,

paper-gripping mechanism mounted in said cyllnder, means to open and close the 'same, an impression-roll mounted between said end frames, means to adjust the same radially -w1th relation to the axis of said cylinder, means to ad ust said impression- 'roll longitudinally, cutter-disks secured on said impression-roll adapted to co-act with said cylinder to split a sheet of paper, pressure-sleeves on said impression roll adapted to co-act with the printing devices on said cylinder, scraper mechanism contacting with said cylinder adapted to disengage a sheet of paper from said cylinder, mechanism adapted to rotate said cylinder, and means to stop said cylinder at the end of each rotation thereof, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

NORVAL IV. TRUXAL Witnesses i P. V. GIFFoRD, H. M. Srumrzom- 

